Method and device for percutaneous left ventricular reconstruction

ABSTRACT

A method for reducing left ventricular volume, which comprises identifying infarcted tissue during open chest surgery; reducing left ventricle volume while preserving the ventricular apex; and realigning the ventricular apex, such that the realigning step comprises closing the lower or apical portion of said ventricle to achieve appropriate functional contractile geometry of said ventricle in a dyskinetic ventricle of a heart.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/961,990 filed Dec. 20, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,449,442, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/248,521 filed onOct. 12, 2005, which claims the benefit of under 35 U.S.C. §109(e) ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/618,835, filed on Oct. 13,2004, the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to methods and devices for reconstructing theventricle and for sensing infarcted septum and left ventricle wallduring percutaneous left ventricle reconstruction, particularly wherethere is congestive heart failure.

This invention also relates generally to devices for sizing a ventricleand related methods for positioning the device. More particularly, theinvention relates to sizing devices for reducing the ventricular volumeto improve the heart's pumping action

2. Description of Related Art

Heart failure occurs when the pumping ability of the heart becomesimpaired. The term congestive heart failure (CHF) refers to heartfailure that is accompanied by congestion of body tissues. Heart failuremay be caused by a variety of conditions, including acute myocardialinfarction, hypertension, valvular heart disease, or degenerativeconditions of the heart muscle known collectively ad cardiomyopathies.Heart failure may exist as either systolic or diastolic (preservedejection fraction) failure, and right-sided or sided failure. Systolicfailure involves a decrease in cardiac contractility and ejectionfraction. In systolic heart failure, the ejection fraction declinesprogressively with increasing degrees of myocardial dysfunction. With adecrease in ejection fraction, there is a resultant increase indiastolic volume, ventricular dilation, ventricular wall tension, andventricular end-diastolic pressure.

In certain pathological conditions, the ventricles of the heart becomeineffective in pumping the blood, causing a back-up of pressure in thevascular system behind the ventricle. The reduced effectiveness of theheart is usually due to an enlargement of the heart. Coronary arterydisease causes approximately 60% of congestive heart failure. Acutemyocardial infarction (AMI) due to obstruction of a coronary artery is acommon initiating event that can lead ultimately to heart failure. Amyocardial ischemia may, for example, cause a portion of a myocardium ofthe heart to lose its ability to contract. Prolonged ischemia can leadto infarction of a portion of the myocardium (heart muscle) wherein theheart muscle dies and become scar tissue. Once this tissue dies, it nolonger as a muscle and cannot contribute to the pumping action of theheart. When the heart tissue is no longer pumping effectively, thatportion of the myocardium is said to be hypokinetic, meaning that it isless contractile than the uncompromised myocardial tissue. As thissituation worsens, the local area of compromised myocardium may in factbulge out as the heart contracts, further decreasing the hearts abilityto move blood forward. When local wall motion moves in this way it issaid to be dyskinetic. The dyskinetic portion of the myocardium maystretch and eventually form an aneurysmic bulge.

One problem with a large dilated left ventricle is that there is asignificant increase in wall tension and/or stress both during diastolicfilling and during systolic contraction. In a normal heart, theadaptation of muscle hypertrophy (thickening) and ventricular dilatationmaintain a fairly constant wall tension for systolic contraction.However, in a failing heart, the ongoing dilation is greater than thehypertrophy and the result is a rising wall tension requirement forsystolic contraction. This is felt to be an ongoing insult to the musclemyocyte resulting in further muscle damage. In response, the hearttissue remodels to accommodate the chronically increased fillingpressures, further increasing the work that the now-compromisedmyocardium must perform. This vicious cycle of cardiac failure resultsin the symptoms of congestive heart failure such as shortness of breathon exertion, edema in the periphery, nocturnal dypsnia (a characteristicshortness of breath that occurs at night after going to bed), weightgain, and fatigue, to name a few. The increase in wall stress alsooccurs during diastolic filling. The stress increase requires a largeramount of oxygen supply, which can result in exhaustion of themyocardium leading to a reduced cardiac output of the heart.

Heart failure (HF), the heart's inability to pump an adequate volume ofblood to the tissues, is the only major cardiovascular condition thatcontinues to increase in incidence in the United States. Approximate 5million patients are currently diagnosed with HF in the United States.The American Heart Association estimates that between 400,000 and700,000 new HF cases develop each year. This condition is responsiblefor an estimated 900,000 hospitalizations annually—more than any othermedical condition among the elderly. Approximately 6.5 million hospitaldays each year are attributed to and related to HF and as many as onethird of those patients are readmitted for treatment of symptomrecurrence within 90 days. Thus, it is not surprising that the cost ofproviding advanced medical care for the millions of patients sufferingfrom HF is extraordinarily high—now estimated at more than $38 billionannually.

In certain pathological conditions, the ventricles of the heart becomeineffective in pumping the blood, causing a back-up of pressure in thevascular system behind the ventricle. The reduced effectiveness of theheart is usually due to an enlargement of the heart. Coronary arterydisease causes approximately 60% of congestive heart failure. Acutemyocardial infarction (AMI) due to obstruction of a coronary artery is acommon initiating event that can lead ultimately to heart failure. Amyocardial ischemia may, for example, cause a portion of a myocardium ofthe heart to lose its ability to contract. Prolonged ischemia can leadto infarction of a portion of the myocardium (heart muscle) wherein theheart muscle dies and become scar tissue. Once this tissue dies, it nolonger functions as a muscle and cannot contribute to the pumping actionof the heart. When the heart tissue is no longer pumping effectively,that portion of the myocardium is said to be hypokinetic, meaning thatit is less contractile than the uncompromised myocardial tissue. As thissituation worsens, the local area of compromised myocardium may in factbulge out as the heart contracts, further decreasing the hearts abilityto move blood forward. When local wall motion moves in this way it issaid to be dyskinetic. The dyskinetic portion of the myocardium maystretch and eventually form an aneurysmic bulge.

One problem with a large dilated left ventricle is that there is asignificant increase in wall tension and/or stress both during diastolicfilling and during systolic contraction. In a normal heart, theadaptation of muscle hypertrophy (thickening) and ventricular dilatationmaintain a fairly constant wall tension for systolic contraction.However, in a failing heart, the ongoing dilatation is greater than thehypertrophy and the result is a rising wall tension requirement forsystolic contraction. This is felt to be an ongoing insult to the musclemyocyte resulting in further muscle damage. In response, the hearttissue remodels to accommodate the chronically increased fillingpressures, further increasing the work that the now-compromisedmyocardium must perform. This vicious cycle of cardiac failure resultsin the symptoms of congestive heart failure such as shortness of breathon exertion, edema in the periphery, nocturnal dypsnia (a characteristicshortness of breath that occurs at night after going to bed), weightgain, and fatigue, to name a few. The increase in wall stress alsooccurs during diastolic filling. The stress increase requires a largeramount of oxygen supply, which can result in exhaustion of themyocardium leading to a reduced cardiac output of the heart.

Prior treatments for heart failure associated with such dilatation fallinto three general categories. The first being pharmacologicaltreatment, for example, diuretics and ACE inhibitors. The second beingassist devices, for example, pumps. Finally, surgical treatments alsohave been experimented with, for example, Dor or Jatene procedure, orleft ventricular reconstruction (LVR).

A surgical procedure for reconstruction of the left ventricle, developedby Dr. Vincent Dor, involves surgery via sternotomy by placing thepatient on a heart-lung machine. In this operation, the scar tissue isexcluded, and a patch is placed where the scar was excluded in order tosculpt the contour of the restored ventricle, and thus, reshape theheart. This results in more efficient contractile function, as theejection fraction increases and forward output improves. The techniquerequires open chest surgery (sternotomy or thoracotomy), and isuniversally considered an invasive procedure. Understandably, the risk,extended recovery period, and discomfort of the sternal incision act asa deterrent to patients and their physicians despite the need to addressthe disease state for which the procedure is designed.

Hence, it will be beneficial to achieve the desired sizing and shapingof the heart without the highly invasive open chest procedure. Aminimally invasive procedure, for example one that is done using acatheter that is inserted into the femoral vein or artery and thataccesses the left ventricle, could be highly desirable. Such a procedureshall be able to identify and exclude the infracted tissue, in a waythat is comparable to the identification of the infracted tissue isaccomplished by simple visualization in an open procedure, and maintainor create the apex that is necessary to recreate the proper functioningof a CHF heart. A proper recreation of the apex of the heart isessential for maintaining effective cardiac contraction.

As mentioned above, the infracted tissue is easily identified during anopen chest surgery by visualization. During a closed chest procedurewhere the heart is accessed using minimally invasive techniques, ascontemplated here, it is not possible to visually differentiate theinfracted tissue from viable or reversibly-ischemic myocardium. WhileMRI and nuclear-uptake studies can identify the presence of scar, theseare currently not feasible intraoperatively.

Thus, there is a need for sensing infarcted myocardium in the septumfrom the right or left ventricle, along with a method or device toreduce the left ventricular volume while preserving the apex, and, thento appropriately realign the apex of the left ventricle and alter thegeometry and decrease the wall tension in order to improve cardiacejection fraction).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes a method and device to achieve leftventricular volume reduction using minimally invasive surgicaltechniques by:

1. detecting the appropriate infarcted location in the heart; and

2. reducing left ventricle volume while preserving the apex byrealigning the ventricular apex to treat patients with congestive heartfailure.

A goal of the present invention is to provide a limited access methodfor treating congestive heart failure. This is achieved by a minimallyinvasive technique to reduce left ventricular volume while preservingthe apex, and a way of sensing infarcted myocardium (septum and leftventricle wall) to appropriately reconfigure the geometry of the leftventricle and properly align the apex to provide the desired pumpingcapability of the heart. The present invention may be performedtrans-atrially, trans-arterially, or trans-venously, as through femoralvein (percutaneously) with a catheter.

This invention relates to a device and method for treatment ofcongestive heart failure patients, and particularly to sizing device andmethod for reducing ventricular volume in patients suffering fromcongestive heart failure. The device and method may be performedthoracoscopically off-pump which is less expensive and less traumatic tothe patient than an open-chest and open-heart surgical technique.

A left ventricular reconstruction typically comprises excluding theinfracted tissue. To exclude the infracted tissue, it is important tofirst locate the tissue to be “excluded”. This invention describes amethod for identifying infracted tissue while performing leftventricular reconstruction using minimally invasive procedures. Suchsensing techniques may include (but are not limited to), (1) pacing(infracted tissue has minimum or no electrical conduction), (2)angiography, (3) echocardiography, and (4) tissue Doppler.

In yet another embodiment, this invention describes a method forperforming minimally invasive left ventricular volume reduction in acongestive heart failure heart using a catheter by (a) accessing septumof the heart through the right ventricle; (b) identifying infractedtissue in the septum; (c) advancing the catheter through the infractedtissue of the septum; (d) identifying infracted tissue on the leftventricle wall; (e) bringing together the infracted tissue of the leftventricle and the septum, thereby minimizing the volume of the leftventricle; and (f) recreating an apex of the heart such that theprocedure results in the desired geometric configuration and ejectionfraction.

Once the boundaries of the scar have been defined using a sensingtechnique, achieving the clinical goal is dependent on realignment ofthe apical spatial relationships, and a decrease in the size of the leftventricle to improve ejection fraction and stroke volume. In theprocess, this invention will diminish wall tension, and therefore oxygenconsumption, as well as solving potential alignment disparities byrepositioning the apex to an appropriate anatomical configuration.

Another embodiment of this invention comprises a catheter-based,minimally invasive procedure of introducing a catheter into the rightventricle of the heart, via the septum, and into the left ventricle toreduce the volume of the left ventricle while preserving the apex of theleft ventricle. This method comprises performing minimally invasive leftventricular volume reduction in a congestive heart failure heart using acatheter by (a) accessing septum of the heart through the rightventricle; (b) identifying tissue in the septum; (c) advancing thecatheter through the infarcted tissue of the septum; (d) identifyinginfracted tissue on the left ventricular wall; and (e) bringing theinfracted tissue of the left ventricle and the septum closer to eachother and thereby minimizing the volume of the left ventricle.

Another aspect of the present invention pertains to suturing device, andrelated suturing methods, for thoracoscopy device placement on theheart. The sutures of the present inventions may be placedthoracoscopically. The inventive techniques and devices are thusminimally invasive and less risky to patients.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention has other advantages and features which will bemore readily apparent from the following detailed description of theinvention and the appended claims, when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of a mammalian heart;

FIG. 1B is a schematic showing a sensing catheter that detects theinfracted tissue and distinguishes the viable tissue before puncturingthe septum and realigning the apex and reducing left ventricular volume;

FIG. 1C illustrates a cross-section of a heart viewed along line A-A inFIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a schematic illustration of the use of a suturing device thatis used to exclude the infarcted tissue and resulting volume reductionin the left ventricle;

FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-section of a heart viewed along line B-B inFIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C illustrates a cross-section of a heart viewed along line B-B inFIG. 2A and showing the resizing of the ventricle;

FIG. 3 illustrates the manner of direct visualization of the infarctedwall of the left ventricle and guiding the placement of the suture onthe left ventricle during LVR;

FIGS. 4A through 4F illustrate the step-by-step procedure for oneembodiment of a percutaneous LVR procedure;

FIG. 5 shows a thoracoscopic suction and suturing device that could beused for LVR;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an epicardial or thorascopic approach toaccomplish LVR; and

FIGS. 7A through 7E illustrate implantable devices in accordance withthe present invention for use during percutaneous LVR to bring togetherthe infarcted tissue of the septum and the left ventricular wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1A illustrates a mammalian heart 10 and identifies the rightventricle 12, left ventricle 14, left ventricle wall 15 and septum 16.Right ventricle 12 may also be referred to interchangeably herein and inthe figures as “RV”. Left ventricle 14 may also be referred tointerchangeably herein and in the figures as “LV”. Additionally, leftventricle 14 is also referred to herein as “left ventricle chamber.”

FIGS. 1A-1C and 2A-2C illustrate a method of percutaneouslyaccomplishing left ventricular restoration (“LVR”). In accordance withthis method, a catheter 18 with a sensing element 20 is threaded throughthe femoral vein (not shown) into the right ventricle 12 of heart 10. Itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to insertion ofcatheter 18 via the femoral vein and catheter 18 may be inserted viaother arteries or veins. The sensing element 20 locates the infarctedtissue 22 of the interventricular septum 16. A commercially availabledevice (EP Technologies, CA) that has the capability of discerningviable tissue from scar tissue could be used for the sensing purpose.This device operates on the concept of “monophasic action potential”(“MAP”) and allows the operator to determine whether or not the site incontact with the sensing element has the desired properties.

Upon identifying this infarcted tissue, the physician threads thecatheter 18 into the left ventricle 14 by advancing a perforating member30 via a puncture through the tissue so identified in the septum 16.Perforating member 30 may be coextensive with catheter 18 or be fedthrough catheter 18. Advancing perforating member 30 can also beaccomplished by using a retractable pointed element that is disposed atthe distal tip of catheter 18. Alternatively, the catheter could beadvanced over a steerable, sharp member that separately perforates theinfarcted tissue of the septum. Once catheter 18 is in the leftventricle 14, the sensing element 20 is again used to confirm thelocation of additional infarcted tissue 23 in the left ventricular wall24. Upon locating the infarcted tissue on the left ventricular wall, thephysician advances the perforating member 30 through the tissue soidentified until perforating member 30 is external to the ventricle andvisible through the epicardium. The perforating member 30 shall theneither be fixed on the surface of the heart with a disc or similarfixation member 32, or used to pull or retract additional fixationmembers or another grasping device, such as a suture (not shown), backthrough the free wall to the epicardium to the endocardium. Fixationmember 32 is typically part of the catheter that is activated bymaneuvering or activating something on the catheter

In the former case, perforating member 30, affixed via fixation member32 to left ventricle wall 15 is withdrawn through the free ventricularwall, back through the dilated left ventricle chamber 14 and backthrough the septum 16 at the site of the original perforation. As theperforating element 30 is further withdrawn, it will reduce the positionof the free wall until that wall becomes contiguous with the septum 16(or nearly so). Thus, the short axis of the left ventricle 14 isdiminished by the extent to which the septum and free LV wall areapposed.

The catheters used for the percutaneous LVR in accordance with thepresent invention may be steerable/maneuverable catheters as arecommonly used in surgical procedures. Suturing devices used in thealternative iterations could be commonly used sutures such as Prolene™,or could be made of shape memory alloys, such as Nitinol™.

The above steps could be accomplished using the following steps anddevices:

1. Continuous direct and non-invasive visualization of the process usingendoscopy, echocardiography, or other known non-invasive methods.

2. Multiple (assuming one will not be adequate to accomplish therestoration) perforating elements with multiple epicardial “discs” orother dispersing or fixation members, which are pulled togethersimultaneously to reduce the volume of the left ventricle.

3. A counter, externally compressive maneuver to ensure even reductionof the ventricle with balance movement of each of the multiple discs andevagination of the intervening scar as the reduction is carried out.

4. Fixation of the penetrating members on the right side if theinterventricular septum to cement the reduction. Expanding discs, slats,or other fixation members to distribute the forces over a large areawill be used.

5. The bulk of the device, not the portions of the penetrating membersbetween the free wall discs and the RV septal discs, will be removedfrom the vascular system. As such, only a remnant, or detachable portionof the members that traversed the septum, LV, and free wall will remain,fixed at both ends with elements that distribute tension over asubstantial area to ensure durability. These detachable elements will bea short segment, since the perforated portion will have been shortenedas the walls are brought in closer approximation.

6. Alternatively, the leading edge of the fixation member shall have aretention element, such that the leading edge of the fixation member isretained on the epicardium. Once the leading edge is in place, thecatheter is retracted through the puncture that was previously madethrough the infarcted septum. The retraction of the catheter now leavesthe fixation member bridging the wall of the left ventricle and theseptum. The trailing edge of the fixation member shall also have aretention element such that the trailing edge of the retention elementis on the septum facing the right ventricle. The objective here is tobring together the infarcted tissues of the septum and the leftventricular wall together such that the left ventricular volume isreduced to an appropriate size and shape for a congestive heart failurepatient to recover the desired ejection fraction of the heart. With theleading and trailing edge retention devices on the epicardium and theseptum, respectively, pulling them away from each other would bring thetwo walls together and thus result in a reduced volume of the leftventricle. The two walls could also be brought together using suturingdevices that are well known in the art.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bimanual strategy to achieve left ventricularrestoration. In order to create a bimanual strategy, a directvisualization method from sub-xiphoid or trans-thoracic port access isused to determine the appropriate location of the penetration by thefixation member 32 (not shown in FIG. 3) through the endocardium of theleft ventricular wall. An incision is typically made in the patient'schest into which a camera or video device 26 is inserted to providevisualization of the ventricle wall. This element may he used eitheralone or in combination with other visualization techniques.

The procedure according to one embodiment of the present invention isshown in FIGS. 4A-4F which illustrate vertical cross-section views ofheart 10. FIG. 4B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the heartshowing a delivery catheter 18 inserted endovascularly into the rightventricle 12 according to an aspect of the present invention. Catheter18 will be used to sense infarcted tissue, to be excluded, on the wallof septum 16, and to puncture across the septum wall to the leftventricle.

FIGS. 4C and 4D illustrate a guide wire or perforating element (shown as30 in FIG. 1B) from the catheter of FIG. 4B through the septum wall,across the left ventricular chamber and into the free wall 15 of leftventricle 14 according to an aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 4E illustrates the insertion of a retention element or member 34into the delivery catheter 18 of FIG. 4D for placement of the tensionmember outside the free wall with respect for the left ventricle toreduce left ventricular volume according to an aspect of the presentinvention. Retention element 34 may be a collar, a hook, a barb, afastener or a clip but the invention is not limited in this respect.

FIG. 4F shows the retention element 34 at the end of the procedure toexclude infarcted or scarred tissues, hence reduce the ventricularvolume.

In another embodiment, the procedure utilizes a thoracoscopic surgicalapproach, i.e., synching the infarcted tissue from the epicardial sideas opposed to the endocardial approach described under the percutaneousprocedure. FIG. 5 illustrates the use of thoracoscope 28 in thisapproach. In this iteration, excess portions of the perforating memberswould be removed after the free wall was reduced and a force dispersingmember (not shown) attached.

FIG. 6A illustrates a suction device 40 used to form a dilated leftventricle wall as part of an off-pump epicardial thoracoscopy procedure.Suction device 40 may incorporate a clamp element 42 and a patch 44,which can be made of woven Dacron or extracellular matrix, but is notlimited in this regard. After left ventricle 14 is dilated using suctiondevice 40, clamp 42 is applied which brings the walls of the leftventricle 14 together and thus re-sizes the left ventricle 14 to providedecreased heart wall tension and improved ejection fraction. Patch 44 isapplied over the clamped portion of the left ventricle. A closure device46 then provides stitches 48 along the clamped section as illustrated inFIG. 6B.

FIGS. 7A through 7D further illustrate the different device embodimentsthat could be used for percutaneous LVR. FIG. 7A of the procedureillustrated in FIG. 4C-E, where distal and proximal elements are used tobring the free wall of the left ventricle 14 to be in contact with thewall of septum 16. FIG. 7A is a vertical cross-sectional view of theheart showing a delivery catheter 18 with a curved distal tip insertedinto the right ventricle 12 proximate the wall of septum 16 fordelivering a tension member or fixation member assembly according to anaspect of the present invention.

Delivery catheter 18, which may also could act as a sensing catheter(such as 30 in FIG. 1B) or contain a tissue-viability-sensing element,is introduced into the right ventricle 12. Upon penetrating the septumand then identifying the infarct area 23 on the left ventricular wall15, a distal fixation element 32 a is deployed to be embedded in theinfarct area 23. As catheter 18 is withdrawn through septum 16, aproximal fixation element 32 b is deployed to be in contact with theseptum 16. The withdrawal of the catheter 18 and the fact that distalfixation element 32 a is embedded in the left ventricular wall bringsthe left ventricular wall closer to the septum 16 and thereby decreasesthe ventricular volume. Proximal and distal fixation elements 32 a, 32 bmay be disk shaped and may be made of biocompatible materials. Proximaland distal fixation elements 32 a, 32 b may be provided with one or moreretention elements 34 as shown in FIG. 7B. Retention element 34 could bea collar, hook, barb, fastener or a clip to facilitate and secureproximal and distal fixation elements in the appropriate position. Theseelements could also made of biological materials. Proximal and distalfixation elements 32 a, 32 b may also be impregnated or loaded withangiogenic factors, drugs, gene-regulated viral vectors, cellularmaterials, or other substances such that they could promote desiredresponses.

FIG. 7C illustrates the location of the distal and proximal fixationelements 32 a, 32 b prior to the ventricle resizing procedure, wherethey are spaced apart. FIG. 7D illustrates the end of the procedure,wherein by pulling or retracting perforating element 30 between thedistal and proximal fixation elements 32 a, 32 b away from the leftventricular wall, the septum and the left ventricular wall are broughtcloser and thereby reduce the volume of the left ventricle. The proximaland distal fixation elements 32 a, 32 b could also be used in athoracoscopic procedure, where instead of connector being pulled awayfrom the distal element, the connector is now pulled away from theproximal element.

The proximal and distal fixation elements 32 a, 32 b could also be madeof two sub-elements as shown in FIG. 7E. Proximal retaining element 32 amay comprise first septum sub-element 36 a and second septum sub-element36 b positioned on both side of septum 16. Additionally, distalretaining element 32 b, may comprise first left ventricle sub-element 38a and second left ventricle sub-element 38 b positioned on both side ofleft ventricle wall. Such a two-piece structure for the proximal anddistal elements would also support the weakened infarcted tissue at theseptum and the left ventricular wall.

While there has been shown and described what is considered to bepreferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, beunderstood that various modifications and changes in form or detailcould readily be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited tothe exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed tocover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for reducing left ventricular volume ina congestive heart failure heart, the method comprising the steps of:applying suction to an epicardium of said ventricle; bringing opposingwalls of said ventricle together via suction so as to reduce the size ofthe left ventricle, said opposing walls including a first wall and asecond wall; and penetrating a needle across said first and second wallsof said ventricle while said first wall contacts said second wall;wherein said suction is applied by engaging the epicardium with asuction device so that the epicardium is drawn into the suction deviceand inner surfaces of said first and second walls are brought together.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying infarctedtissue during open chest surgery; reducing a volume of said ventriclewhile preserving the ventricular apex; and realigning the ventricularapex; wherein said realigning step comprises closing of a lower orapical portion of said ventricle to achieve appropriate functionalcontractile geometry of said ventricle.
 3. The method of claim 2,further comprising the step of sensing the infarcted tissue.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the infarcted tissue is the myocardium. 5.The method of claim 2, wherein the step of realigning the ventricularapex further comprises the steps of altering the geometry of theventricle and decreasing wall tension.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe epicardium is engaged with the suction device under thoracoscopicguidance.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising applyingstitching to said first and second walls of said ventricle to affix saidfirst and second walls together.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein saidmethod is a minimally invasive surgery.
 9. The method of claim 3,wherein the step of sensing the infarcted tissue may be performed by aprocedure selected from the group consisting of: pacing, angiography,echocardiography, and tissue Doppler.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the use of a thoracoscope or camera into an incision tofacilitate visualization of the method.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein the method further comprises: securing the first and secondwalls together via a closure device.
 12. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising the step of applying a patch over said first and secondwalls.